Sensational Marriages

Imagine being uninvited to perform at a presidential inauguration because of whom you just married or buying a baby carriage for an infant who, 21 years later, would become your spouse, or how about finding out the person you just married wasn’t actually divorced from their previous spouse. Without a doubt, history is full of sensational marriages and here, in episode 9, we explore a handful of them. Get ready, these are some unusual and fascinating stories.

 Episode Edits: 

 Any background noise you may hear in this episode is actually an excavator being used by our neighbors. Many apologies if you find it distracting. Geoffrey Rush was an Academy Award nominee for best supporting actor for The King’s Speech. Colin Firth, who played King George VI, won the Academy Award for best actor.

 Episode Resources:

 Books

Justinian and Theodora (Annotated) by William Gordon HolmesHistory of the Byzantine State by George OstrogorskyAmerican Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon MechamGrover Cleveland by Henry F. GraffFrank: The Story of Frances Folsom Cleveland, America’s Youngest First Lady by Annette B. DunlapKing Edward VIII: A Biography by Philip ZieglerWallis in Love by Andrew MortonYes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis Jr by Sammy Davis Jr & Jane & Burt Boyar

 Films

The President’s Lady (1953) with Susan Hayward & Charlton Heston The King’s Speech (2010) with Colin Firth & Geoffrey RushSammy Davis Jr. – I’ve Gotta Be Me (2019) DocumentaryOcean’s 11 (1960) with Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin  Robin And The 7 Hoods (1964) with Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean MartinOldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994) Miniseries